Many businesses have dedicated communications networks that enable computers, servers, printers, facsimile machines and the like to communicate with each other and with remote locations via a telecommunications service provider. Such communications system may be hard wired through, for example, the walls and/or ceilings of a building using communications cables. Typically, these cables are so-called “Ethernet” cables that contain four twisted pairs of insulated wires, although in some cases fiber optic cables may be used instead. Individual connector ports such as RJ-45 style modular wall jacks are mounted in offices throughout the building. The cables provide a communications path from the connector ports in offices and other rooms and common areas of the building (“work area outlets”) to network equipment (e.g., network servers, switches, etc.) that may be located in a computer room. Communications cables from external telecommunication service providers may also terminate within the computer room.
Commercial data center operations also use hard wired communications networks to interconnect hundreds or thousands of servers, routers, memory storage systems and other associated equipment. In these data centers, fiber optic communications cables and/or Ethernet cables are used to interconnect the servers, routers, memory storage systems and the like.
In the above-described office and data center communications systems, the cables that connect to end devices such as computers, servers, switches and the like may terminate into one or more communications patching systems that may simplify later connectivity changes. Typically, a communications patching system includes a plurality of “patch panels” that are mounted on one or more equipment racks. As is known to those of skill in the art, a “patch panel” refers to an inter-connection device that includes a plurality of connector ports on a front side thereof. Each connector port (e.g., an RJ-45 jack or a fiber optic adapter) is configured to receive the connector of a “patch cord,” which is a communications cable that is terminated with a connector such as an RJ-45 or fiber optic plug on at least one end thereof. Another patch cord (or unterminated cable) may be connected to the reverse side of each connector port. Accordingly, each connector port on the patch panel may provide a communications path between a first cable that is plugged into the front side of the connector port and a second cable that is terminated into the reverse side of the connector port.
Connectivity changes are often made frequently in both office and data center communications systems, and these connectivity changes are typically implemented by rearranging the patch cord connections in the communications patching system. The patch cord interconnections are typically logged in a computer-based log, and this log is updated each time the patch cord connections are changed. A variety of “intelligent” patching systems are known in the art which have at least some capabilities to automatically log changes or additions to the patch cord connections. These systems, however, have various limitations in terms of cost, complexity and/or the ability to track all changes to the patch cord connections.
FIG. 1 is a schematic, greatly-simplified view of a conventional communications system 10 that is used to connect computers, printers, Internet telephones and other work area devices to network equipment that is located in a computer room 14. As shown in FIG. 1, a computer 20 or other work area device is connected by a patch cord 22 to a modular wall jack 24 that is mounted in a wall plate 26 in work area 12. A communications cable 28 is routed from the back end of the wall jack 24 through, for example, the walls and/or ceiling of the building, to the computer room 14. As there may be hundreds or thousands of work area wall jacks 24 in an office building, a large number of cables 28 may be routed into the computer room 14.
A first equipment rack 30 is provided in the computer room 14. A plurality of patch panels 32 are mounted on the first equipment rack 30. Each patch panel 32 includes a plurality of connector ports 34. Each cable 28 is terminated onto the back end of one of the connector ports 34 of one of the patch panels 32. A second equipment rack 30′ is also provided in the computer room 14. A plurality of patch panels 32′ that include connector ports 34′ are mounted on the second equipment rack 30′. A first set of patch cords 50 (only two exemplary patch cords 50 are illustrated in FIG. 1) are used to interconnect the connector ports 34 on the patch panels 32 to respective ones of the connector ports 34′ on the patch panels 32′. The first and second equipment racks 30, 30′ may be located in close proximity to each other (e.g., side-by-side) to simplify the routing of the patch cords 50. In FIG. 1, each connector port 34, 34′ comprises an RJ-45 jack. However, it will be appreciated that other types of connector ports may be used such as, for example, LC, SC, MPO or other fiber optic adapters (e.g., in data center communications systems).
A rack controller 36 is also mounted on each equipment rack 30, 30′. Each rack controller 36 includes a central processing unit (“CPU”) 38 and a display 39. The rack controllers 36 may be interconnected with each other and with a system controller such as, for example, a system administration computer (not shown). The rack controller 36 may, for example, operate and gather data from intelligent tracking capabilities of the patch panels 32, 32′.
As is further shown in FIG. 1, network devices such as, for example, one or more network switches 42 and network routers and/or servers 46 are mounted, for example, on a third equipment rack 40. Each of the switches 42 may include a plurality of connector ports 44, and each network router and/or server 46 may include one or more connector ports. One or more external communications lines 52 are connected to at least some of the network devices 46 (either directly or through a patch panel). A second set of patch cords 70 connect the connector ports 44 on the switches 42 to respective ones of the connector ports 34′ on the patch panels 32′. A third set of patch cords 54 may be used to interconnect other of the connector ports 44 on the switches 42 with connector ports 48 provided on the network routers/servers 46. In order to simplify FIG. 1, only a single patch cord 70 and a single patch cord 54 are shown. The communications patching system of FIG. 1 may be used to connect each work area computer 20 or other device to the network switches 42, the network switches 42 to the network routers and servers 46, and the network routers/servers 46 to external communications lines 52, thereby establishing the physical connectivity required to give devices 20 access to both local and wide area networks.
The equipment configuration shown in FIG. 1 in which each wall jack 24 is connected to the network equipment 42, 46 through at least two patch panels 32, 32′, is referred to as a “cross-connect” communications patching system. Cross-connect patching systems are also routinely used in data center operations. In a cross-connect patching system such as the system of FIG. 1, connectivity changes are typically made by rearranging the patch cords 50 that interconnect the connector ports 34 on the patch panels 32 with respective of the connector ports 34′ on the patch panels 32′.
Communications system that are similar to the communications systems 10 of FIG. 1 are used in data centers to interconnect servers, switches, routers, memory storage units and the like.
Accurately tracking patch cord connections and equipment may become increasingly difficult as the size of communications systems increase. Modern data center operations may host tens of thousands of servers and other network equipment in a highly dynamic environment in which patching and equipment changes are being made almost constantly. When mistakes occur in recording such changes, numerous problems may arise such as lost connectivity between various devices, the issuance of work orders that cannot properly be completed, loss of planned levels of redundancy, etc. It can be very time-consuming to identify and correct these problems. Accordingly, improved infrastructure management systems are desired that may more accurately track equipment and patching connections.